What if Chip Kelly never left Oregon for the Philadelphia Eagles?
By Logan Shaw
Dec 13, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota kisses the Heisman Trophy during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis after winning the Heisman Trophy. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Would Marcus Mariota have won a second Heisman Trophy?
Well, that’s hard to say.
Jameis Winston had a great year last year. His Seminoles went undefeated, and he had a very good season for a redshirt freshman. However, what if Chip Kelly was coaching the Ducks in 2013? Would that be the difference in Jameis winning the Heisman versus Mariota?
Let’s look at the stats.
In Winston’s 2013 Heisman campaign, he threw for 289 yards per game, 40 touchdowns, and ran for 219 yards. Winston completed 67% of his passes, but threw 10 interceptions in the process. Winston’s biggest Heisman draw was his team’s undefeated record. Florida State was the best college football team in 2013. They won, and they won big.
However, what if Oregon was also undefeated? Mariota also had a great year in 2013, but the Ducks failed to win the Pac-12. The Ducks lost two conference regular season games which landed them in the Alamo Bowl versus Texas. As I mentioned earlier, does a Chip Kelly coached team win one or two of those games the Ducks lost in 2013? Possibly.
In 2013, Mariota threw for 282 yards per game, 31 touchdowns, and ran for 715 yards. Mariota also averaged 7.4 yards per carry, and threw only four interceptions. Mariota’s numbers were arguably better than Winston’s.
Now, if you add Chip Kelly to the mix, what happens?
If the Ducks were undefeated in 2013, would Mariota have two Heisman trophies?
I don’t think so.
Jameis Winston had a great year, and his team was unstoppable. Chip Kelly would have had a big impact on whether or not Mariota could have won the Heisman in 2013, but I think Kelly’s influence wouldn’t have mattered in the end. That was just the year of Jameis Winston and Florida State and their dominating team..
Next: Would Mariota be a better NFL prospect than Winston then?